1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus, method for handwriting recognition.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional handwriting recognition apparatus for automatically segmenting and recognizing a character from handwriting written on a tablet (a coordinate input tablet) or a digitizer pad, and displaying a result, there are four recognition techniques (recognition methods) as follows:
(1) a technique for preparing a plurality of character frames corresponding one character, writing one character in one character frame in order, and segmenting and recognizing the character;
(2) a technique for detecting that a pen is detached from a tablet for a predetermined or more time, judging an end of the character, and segmenting and recognizing the character;
(3) a technique for explicitly instructing an end of writing of one character with a recognition execution button, and segmenting and recognizing the character; and
(4) a technique for defining one character with a special one stroke writing, detecting that a stroke is inputted and the pen is detached from the tablet, then determining one character input, and segmenting and recognizing the character.
However, the aforementioned conventional recognition technique, for example, (1) has a problem that a user has to be conscious of a size and position of the character frame during input of the character, and cannot naturally input the character during writing of the character. Moreover, when mounting of the technique on a small-sized information apparatus is considered, a character writing area with a sufficient size cannot be secured. Therefore, when the plurality of character frames are prepared, the size of the writing area per one character is reduced. There is also a problem that the user cannot easily write the character.
On the other hand, since it is unnecessary to prepare the plurality of character frames in the conventional recognition techniques (2), (3), the writing area per one character can be enlarged, and it is possible to avoid the problem of technique (1). However, in the technique (2), when a plurality of characters are continuously inputted, the pen has to be detached from the tablet for the predetermined or more time for each one-character writing. Moreover, in the technique (3), an operation which comprises pressing the recognition execution button for each one-character input and which is not inherently related to the writing of the character is necessary for each one-character writing. Therefore, the recognition techniques (2), (3) have a problem that it is difficult to smoothly input the character string.
Moreover, in the conventional recognition technique (4), the problems in the techniques (1), (2), (3) can be avoided, but the user is forced to memorize one-stroke writing of each character beforehand. Therefore, particularly when there are a large number of characters as recognition objects, a great burden is imposed on the user.